The present invention relates to a process cartridge remanufacturing method, a process cartridge disassembling method involved in a process cartridge remanufacturing method, a process cartridge assembling method, a positioning/fastening apparatus, and a process cartridge.
The term xe2x80x9cprocess cartraidgexe2x80x9d means: a cartridge in which a charging means, a developing means or cleaning means, and an electrophotographic photoconductive drum, are integrally disposed, and which is removably mountable in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus; a cartridge in which a minimum of one processing means among a charging means, a developing means, and a cleaning means, and an image bearing means, are integrally disposed, and which is removably mountable in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus; or a cartridge in which a minimum of a charging means and an electrophotographic photoconductive drum, are integrally disposed, and which is removably mountable in the main assembly of an image forming apparatus.
An image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, LED printer, laser beam printer, and the like), an electrophotographic facsimile, an electrophotographic word processor, and the like.
In an image forming apparatus which employs an electrophotographic image formation process, a process cartridge system has long been employed. According to this system, an electrophotographic photoconductive member, and a single or plurality of processing means, which act on the electrophotographic photoconductive member, are integrated into a form of a cartridge removably mountable in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus. This system enables a user him/her self to maintain the apparatus without relying on a service person, immensely improving the operability of the apparatus. Thus, the process cartridge system has been widely used in the field of an image forming apparatus.
A process cartridge such as the one described above forms an image on a recording medium with the use of a developer contained therein. Therefore, the amount of the developer therein gradually decreases with image formation, eventually to a level below which it fails to form an image satisfactory in quality to the user who purchased the process cartridge. At this point, the process cartridge loses its commercial value.
Thus, it has long been desired to realize a simple method for remanufacturing a process cartridge so that a process cartridge which has lost its commercial value due to the depletion of the developer therein can be marketed again.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple method for remanufacturing a process cartridge.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for remanufacturing a process cartridge, the commercial value of which has been lost due to the consumption of the developer therein to a level below which the process cartridge fails to forms an image satisfactory in quality to a user who has purchased the process cartridge.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process cartridge disassembling method for remanufacturing a process cartridge, a process cartridge assembling method for remanufacturing a process cartridge, and a positioning/fastening apparatus used with the process cartridge assembling method.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for disassembling a process cartridge, which is removably mountable in the main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and comprises: an electrophotographic photoconductive drum; a developing means for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photoconductive drum; a drum holding frame for rotationally supporting the electrophotographic photoconductive drum; a developer container for storing the developer to be supplied to the developing means; a developing means holding frame for holding the developing means; a pair of covering members attached to the end surfaces, in terms of the lengthwise direction of the electrophotographic photoconductive member, of the combination of the drum holding frame and developer container, one for one, in a manner to cover virtually the entireties of the end surfaces, comprising: a step in which the joints between the covering members and the combination of the drum holding frame and developer container are cut along the inwardly facing edges of the covering members.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.